July 30, 2012

Fans upset over empty VIP seats in London Olympic venues

July 19, 2012

Team USA's outsourced uniforms prompt calls for clothing 'Made in America.'

With all the bad news about the economy, it was nice to see good news for a change--and on ABC News no less. Here's a report (the video runs about 3 minutes) that talks about how 500,000 jobs have come back since 2010, particularly in clothing. 75% of Brooks Brothers suits are now made in the U.S.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/olympic-uniform-uproar-riles-us-manufacturers-16807922

July 12, 2012

San Bernardino bankrupt: Blame pet projects, not labor, union says

Source: LATimes

San Bernardino's labor unions pushed back at the suggestion that lucrative labor agreements were forcing the city to seek bankruptcy protection – and instead blamed city officials for frittering away money.

Steve Tracy, a fire engineer and spokesman for the city firefighters' union, said the city's labor groups had already given $10 million in concessions. He cited the mayor and former city manager's pet projects, including a call center and new movie theater downtown, as reasons for the $46-million deficit.

"Before you start putting blame on the labor groups, get your own fiscal house in order," he said.

The City Council voted 4 to 2 Tuesday night to seek bankruptcy protection. Although Mayor Patrick Morris called it a "stain" on the city, he said the only other option was "draconian cuts" to all city services, including the police and fire departments.



Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/07/san-bernardino-bankruptcy.html

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The politicians spend on unnecessary stuff they can't afford, then blame the unions when they go in the red. Hmmm, where have I seen this before?

July 11, 2012

Official: Mom leaves mentally disabled daughter at bar, refuses to retrieve her

Source: CNN

An Illinois woman who left her mentally disabled daughter outside a Tennessee bar cannot be charged with a crime, police said Tuesday. Police in Caryville, Tennessee, said the daughter is 19 and not assigned to a legal guardian. "As terrible as it is, unfortunately there is nothing we can do," Assistant Police Chief Stephanie Smith said. "There is no doubt we need a law for mental health rights, but pending this investigation, we just don't know what else to do."

According to police, Eva Cameron stopped at the Big Orange Bar in Caryville on June 28 when her daughter, Lynn, needed to use the restroom.
...
Eva Cameron told the Northwest Herald newspaper in Illinois that she brought Lynn to Caryville because of its concentration of Baptists and because Tennessee has the "No. 1 health care system in the United States of America."
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Authorities said Lynn Cameron is being cared for at a facility in Roane County. When asked how the young woman is doing, Smith replied, "Lynn is doing fantastic."




Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/10/us/mother-abandons-disabled-daughter/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

July 3, 2012

GlaxoSmithKline to pay $3B for health fraud

Source: AP

GlaxoSmithKline will pay $3 billion in fines - the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history - for criminal and civil violations involving 10 drugs that are taken by millions of people.

The Justice Department said Monday that GlaxoSmithKline PLC will plead guilty to promoting popular antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses. The company also will plead guilty to failing to report to the government for seven years some safety problems with diabetes drug Avandia, which was restricted in the U.S. and banned in Europe after it was found in 2007 to sharply increase the risks of heart attacks and congestive heart failure.

In addition to the fine, Glaxo agreed to resolve civil liability for promoting Paxil, Wellbutrin, asthma drug Advair and two lesser-known drugs for unapproved uses. The company also resolved accusations that it overcharged the government-funded Medicaid program for some drugs, and that it paid kickbacks to doctors to prescribe several drugs including Flovent for asthma and Valtrex for genital herpes.

Prosecutors said Glaxo illegally promoted Paxil for treating depression in children from 1998 to 2003, even though it wasn't approved for anyone under age 18. The company also promoted Wellbutrin from 1999 through 2003 for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although it was only approved for treatment of major depression.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_JUSTICE_GLAXOSMITHKLINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-02-13-47-23

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Glad to see USDOJ going after the real drug pushers.

July 2, 2012

Rupert Murdoch calls Scientologists 'creepy' and maybe 'evil'

Source: LA Times

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has put his two cents in on the news that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting divorced.

"Watch Katie Holmes & Scientology story. Something creepy, maybe even evil, about these people," Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive of News Corp. tweeted Sunday morning.

Murdoch's tweet followed Friday's news that Holmes had filed for divorce from Cruise after five years of marriage.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-rupert-scientologist-0120701,0,419588.story

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Pot, meet kettle.

July 2, 2012

US judge temporarily blocks Miss. abortion law

Source: AP [AP.org]

A federal judge on Sunday temporarily blocked enforcement of a Mississippi law that could shut down the only abortion clinic in the state.

U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan in Jackson issued a temporary restraining order the day the new law took effect.

He set a July 11 hearing to determine whether to block the law for a longer time.

"Though the debate over abortion continues, there exists legal precedent the court must follow," Jordan wrote.



Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ABORTION_MISSISSIPPI?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-01-20-36-29